As a friend and supporter of the Sunshine Division, I’m pleased to share with you some very exciting news that will greatly impact the future of this organization and our ability to raise food and funds during the holiday season.

Sunshine Division has received a $278,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust which was awarded specifically for the purchase and startup costs of the Winter Wonderland light show event. Sunshine Division’s operation of the Winter Wonderland light show will significantly increase our fundraising and food-raising capacity as well as awareness of our mission; providing emergency food and clothing for local families in times of crisis. This is a game changer for the organization and our ability to feed and clothe more people in need in this community!

The other significant impact of the Murdock Trust grant is in leveraging funding commitments from all of Sunshine Division’s board members as well as influencing a title sponsorship from The Albertsons Companies Foundation and additional sponsorship support from Advantis Credit Union. We are actively seeking support for additional sponsorships and I encourage you to contact me if you have interest in learning more.

For those of you unfamiliar with the event, Winter Wonderland is Portland’s largest holiday light show, and has been held at Portland International Raceway for the past 22 years. Sunshine Division is a longtime charitable partner of the event receiving more than 43 tons of food and $50,000 over the past twelve years from event attendee donations.

Our organization has been committed to making holiday seasons brighter for local families since 1923. Winter Wonderland aligns with that mission by creating a platform to generate community support during a critical time of year. The 2015 show will be managed on behalf of Sunshine Division with support from the Hood To Coast Race Series staff. This year’s show opens Thanksgiving night and closes Sunday, December 27, 2015.

We invite you to come out and visit Winter Wonderland and see how Sunshine Division will make the event our own. You’ll notice more participation and visibility with our founding partners, the Portland Police Bureau, as cadets, community policing units, and other Bureau members have an on-site presence. You’ll also notice our food barrels accepting donations each night and greater visibility of our corporate supporters.

If you want to know more about Winter Wonderland, or how you can get involved in helping support this event, please don’t hesitate to contact me.